The Woman In The Court
by CSI1983
Summary: When remains are found in a tennis court, Temperance and Seeley are flown halfway across the world to find a killer. BB?
1. Chapter 1

The Woman In The Court

Chapter One – The Man On The Plane

_This is the normal time that they played tennis. They were always the first on the court and they only left when the people started arriving. Mainly it was because neither of them was really good at the sport and making fools of themselves in front of the other students was not high on the list of priorities. They began to play, as they normally did and neither of them thought any differently about the game at hand. Until one dove right and tripped over a skeletal hand that was poking out from under the fake green grass. Tennis took a suddenly very sinister turn._

* * *

Temperance Brennan was in peaceful state just before her phone rang. She was in that nice area of limbo, where one case had finished and another yet to begin. She was enjoying a coffee and cookies that Angela had baked last night. She was happy and relaxed. Then her phone rang. With a sigh, she picked it up and flipped it open.

"Brennan"

"Temperance, its Dr. Sean Asquith"

"Sean, how are you?"

"Fine Temperance and yourself?"

"Fine, thank you. I presume you called for a reason"

"Sadly, yes"

Temperance sat back and listened to her older colleague explain the situation. Sean Asquith was an old professor that she had met many times in her excursions to old burial sites and war ruins.

"There was a body found here in the tennis courts."

"Here being?"

"New Zealand. At Victoria University"

"Oh I see. Foul play?"

"It appears that way. I need your help in identifying these bones."

"Sean, surely there is some other person-"

"Not one that I trust. Are you able to come?"

"Let me see what I can do. I'll call you back as soon as I can"

Temperance hung up the phone and looked around her office. She knew that the Jeffersonian would not mind leasing her out, the question was, would Booth mind coming on an overseas adventure?

* * *

"Absolutely not"

Seeley Booth ignored her attempts to convince him and resumed looking at the current case file in his hands.

"Come on Booth, you owe me"

"What do you mean?"

"You make me go places I don't want to all the time. An old friend of mine needs my help and I need you"  
Booth paused and gave her a smile.

"You need me?"

Temperance paused, realizing her mistake.

"Not in that sense. I need your help"

"Why? You would be fine by yourself"

"Maybe but a body found on a University campus could spell trouble. I need you to ease the way a little"

Booth sighed and put the file down.

"The Jeffersonian is willing to pay for this?"

"For both of us. Please?"

"How long will we be gone?"

"A week at most."

Booth sighed again, making a drama of drawing it out. Truth be told, he had already decided to go but there was no need to let Bones off the hook so easily.

"Fine, I'll come with you. When do we leave?"

"Tonight"

Bones was gone before he could offer any kind of protest. He was hardly surprised, he would have changed his mind if he had known just how soon they were leaving. He pulled out his phone and prepared himself for the yelling that would soon ring out when his boss found out why he was going to be out of action for a week.

* * *

Bags packed and waiting to board their flight, Booth had another tug of regret. He had forgotten just how much he hated flying. Short flights he could deal with but this trip would be long.

"Want something to eat Booth?"

Bones pushed a tuna salad under his nose and his stomach almost betrayed him.

"No thanks Bones. I'll eat when we land"

"Long trip Booth. You may want to eat"

He shook his head but before he could offer any more of an argument, the voice of God announced the boarding of their flight. He followed her up the boarding passage after they had handed off their tickets and tried to ignore the pull in his stomach. He hated flying. He was surprised when they were led to the first class area of the plane by the polite air hostess.

"Hey Bones, do you always travel first class?"

"Yes. The institute insists, though I have no idea why"

Booth nodded and tried to make himself comfortable but it was failing. All he could feel was the sickening tug in his stomach, the promise that whatever food he had eaten in the last twelve hours was going to visit him again.

"Are you ok Booth?"

Bones looked concerned as she fastened her seatbelt and pulled out her latest manuscript. She would not let him read it and every time he had tried to sneak a peak at the lab, she would snap it closed or put something on top of it.

"I'm fine Bones. When are you going to let me read the draft for the first novel?"

"When it's on the book shelf. You look a little green"

"I don't like flying. Lets just leave it at that, shall we. What do we know about this case?"

Bones pulled out a file and opened it on the table in front of her.

"Not much. The skeleton was found at a tennis court and there wasn't much left of it, I'm afraid"

She passed Booth pictures and it did nothing to help his stomach. There was still a little flesh stuck to the bones of their victim and he prayed that whoever was sitting behind them didn't pick that moment to look up.

"Tasty. So why does this Dr. Askwith need our help?"

"It's Dr. Asquith and he needs me because this is not his area of expertise. He identifies bones, where they came from and the aging that helps him date them. But he does not have the training to do a complete ID like I do."

"And you've worked with this guy before?"

"Many times. He is a very nice, very respected man."

"Did you sleep with him too?"

"He wasn't my professor"

"Oh, very selective."

Bones narrowed her eyes at him before angling her body away from him and opening her manuscript, red pen poised. Booth tried everything to distract himself from the impending take off. Counting the hairs on top of the balding man's head that sat in front of him, counting the tiny dots on the back of the seat. Anything to get his mind off the journey to come. Nothing worked. All to soon they were taking off and all too soon, his stomach was twisted in knots and the vomit clawed at his throat. He scrambled to find the vomit bag before releasing a torrent of partially digested food.

"Booth, are you ok?"

He nodded into the bag and felt Bones put a hand on his back as the muscles tensed and he threw up all over again. Once that had evened out a little more in the air, he felt safe enough to hand the now full bag to a passing air hostess, requesting a glass of water. Bones handed him her own air-sickness bag and a small pill.

"Take this."

"What is it?"

"It will stop you throwing up and help you get some sleep."

He took the pill, chasing it with the glass of water that had been placed in front of him. He curled up on the large seat and kicked off his shoes. Bones threw a blanket over him and he let the soft murmur of the engines put him to sleep.

* * *

Temperance was far to critical of her own writing, her publisher had pointed that out to her in their first meeting. She had a tendency to chop it up so much that it wasn't even a novel anymore, more like a short story then anything else. So they had come up with a compromise of sorts. Temperance would mark with red pen what she liked or disliked and then her publisher would go through it again, deciding if the choice was the right or the wrong one. Perhaps that was why she never really let anyone read them before they were published. She would have hated to hear the comments and what they thought was right or wrong. She had tried once to get Angela to read it but after the first chapter she had stopped her. It was too hard to let others see that small, private part of herself. She would rather wait for the whole world to see it at the same time. She glanced at Booth, who was sleeping like a baby beneath the harsh plane blanket. She felt a little guilty about dragging him through this flight. If she had known the reaction that he would have to air travel, she would have never made the suggestion in the first place. She was the one who had the idea and she was the one who had wanted him with her in the first place. Perhaps she was developing a dependency on him. She knew that as much as he drove her crazy, she liked having him around. She also knew that arriving in a strange country was that much easier if there was a friendly face there with you. Truth be told, plain and simple, she felt safer with him there. He had saved her life so many times that he was like her own personal body guard. If he went with her, she knew that she would be safe, regardless of whatever stupid thing she decided to do. She made sure that he was tucked in properly before returning to her manuscript.

* * *

Temperance was surprised that Booth had slept the entire trip. They had crossed at least three time zones and he was still sleeping soundly. She considered waking him up before the landing but then re-thought the idea. He may be sick again and she didn't feel the need to see that for a second time. So she pulled his seat belt over him before doing up her own, waiting for the slight bump that indicated their safe arrival.

"Booth"

He stirred slightly and she pushed him again.

"Booth, wake up"

He opened his eyes slightly and frowned at her.

"What?"

"We're here."

He sat up and stretched, rubbing his hands over his face.

"We're here already?"

"You slept the entire way. I'll give you another pill when we head home. For now, we need to get off the plane."

He nodded and have stumbled after her, still half asleep.

"Who's meeting us?"

"One of Sean's associates, Maggie Frasier."

"So the good Dr. himself is not going to be here?"

"He has to stay with the bones. If this is a murder investigation, they need to be protected."

She led him out of the plane and to the area where they needed to collect their luggage before heading to the front gates, where their ride was meant to be waiting for them.

"Dr. Temperance Brennan?"

Maggie Frasier was younger then Temperance had expected her to be. She wasn't very tall and had long brown hair that was pulled back in a serious pony tail. She doubted that the girl had even finished her degree.

"That's me. You must be Maggie Frasier."

The girl smiled and Temperance could see the slight blush that was moving over the girl's cheeks.

"Yes I am. It's an honor to meet you ma'am"

"Please call me Brennan, everybody else does. This is my associate and partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth"

Maggie nodded at him before turning her attention back to Temperance.

"So when is your next book coming out?"

"It's still going through the editing phase I'm afraid."

"That's a shame. Well, welcome to New Zealand. Let's get you to the hotel and settled, shall we?"

Maggie led them to the car that sat out front waiting for them and they climbed in, Temperance eager to get to the bones, Booth eager to get to a bed of some sort. He drifted in and out of sleep as the two women chatted and the trip felt extremely short. The pulled up in front of the hotel and Maggie handed them their key.

"I'll be picking you up tomorrow morning at nine. Anything that you want or need, just tell them to charge it to the university account."

Temperance and Booth took the elevator to their room, Temperance pausing at the door, cursing under her breath.

"What's wrong Bones?"

"When I said I was bringing my partner, I think that they took it literally"

She pointed to the room that sat just off the main entrance and to the king size bed that sat in the center. Booth gave her a lazy smile as he leaned over and picked up the phone.

"Hi, could I please have a cot delivered to room 9A? Thanks."

He hung up the phone and picked up her bags, placing them in the room before he picked up his own and placed them near the sofa.

"Problem solved. Can we get something to eat? I am starving"

"That's because you threw everything up on the plane."

"Please do not remind me. So, what do you feel like? Room service or a nice restaurant?"

"We really should have room service Booth. I don't feel right charging a dinner at a restaurant to the university."

Booth opened one of the menus on the table.

"They deliver to the hotel. We won't have to go out to enjoy the food"

"Fine"

"So what do you feel like?"

"Pizza."

"Pizza it is."

Within an hour they were sitting in front of the TV watching a funny New Zealand cartoon and enjoying their first mean in a new country. Temperance was a little disappointed that she didn't get to see the bones as soon as she thought she would be able to but she knew that they could wait for one more day at least. Her stomach however, could not.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – The Man In The Bow Tie

The cot idea had been a bad one. Booth had regretted his choice from the moment that he had woken up. He decided, as he tried to rid his neck of the deep chink, that he would rather sleep on the sofa. He knew that Bones was sleeping soundly; he could hear her very faint snores. That and the alarm would not be anywhere near going off, it was still pitch black outside. Despite having only gotten a few hours sleep, Booth felt more then ready to face the day. He was as quiet as possible as he approached the door to the room where Bones was sleeping, closing it silently before heading back to his place on the sofa. He flicked on the TV and tried to find something good to watch. He found an old funny movie and settled down to watch it. He had a few more hours before Bones would join him in the world of the conscious.

* * *

By the time Bones did wake up, he had already ordered breakfast for her and the first thing he did was hand her a hot, strong cup of coffee.

"Here we go Sunshine. I also ordered pancakes, toast and fruit."

"Thank you Booth. It's nice to wake up to this considering the day ahead."

"Eat up. We'll need our energy"

An hour later, Booth was trying to decide what to wear. He wasn't officially there as FBI but then again he was there on business. So what should he wear? His time honored suit or a simple pair of jeans and a shirt? All things considered, he had better stick with the suit. He wanted to make an impression that he wasn't going to stand for any shit. At ten minutes pat nine, they were waiting outside for their ride. At precisely five to, Maggie arrived in the car.

"Ready?"

"Ready"

It was a short ride to the university and Booth was fairly certain that they could have walked it but according to Maggie, it was far to easy to get lost. The arrived at the campus and the first thing that Booth noticed was just how quiet it was. An older man, in his late fifties at least, stood at the main entrance, a tray of coffees in his hand. Bones looked happy to see him and Booth put two and two together. This must be the legendary Asquith.

"Temperance, you look wonderful"

He pulled her into a quick hug before offering her one of the coffees. He handed one to Maggie before finally paying attention to Booth, who was more then happy to remain on the sidelines. Sean Asquith didn't look like any kind of professor, truth be told he looked like an older version of Peewee Herman dressed in that ridiculous bow tie. He was wearing a pair of pants that were too short and his shirt was only half buttoned. His hair was all over the show. He didn't look anything like Booth had pictured him too.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth, I presume?"

"You presume right. Nice to meet you Dr. Asquith"

"Call me Sean. Right, shall we get started?"

Booth took the coffee that was offered to him, trying to look happy even though he was sipping on the sweetest caffeinated drink on earth. He kept to the back of the small group, his eyes on Bones and Asquith. They were friends; he could that much by the relaxed body language. Bones was getting more and more excited, her steps becoming longer in her eagerness to see the bones and Booth had to keep at a half trot just to keep up with the striding trio. They went past several tall, old looking buildings, Sean giving a brief run down of each stature but Booth wasn't really listening. He wanted to get to work. They entered a cool building and Booth followed them down twisting hallways before Sean suddenly come to a stop.

"And here we are"  
The bones were laid out in a table, much like the ones that were housed in the Jeffersonian, a large plastic cover keeping them away from curious hands.

"Do you know anything?"

"You're the pro here Temperance."

Bones leaned over the body, her eyes scanning quickly.

"Female, between 19-25 years old."

Bones leaned over and searched in her bag, pulling out a camera and throwing it to Booth. He caught it neatly, frowning at her.

"Do you want me to take pictures Bones?"

"Yes"

"Glad you asked so politely."

"From every angle."

Sean stepped forward, frowning as Booth took the required pictures.

"Temperance, I can provide you with a student who is more then adequate at taking the pictures that you require."

Bones didn't even look up from her position over the skeleton.

"Booth knows what he's doing."

With that small boost of confidence, he resumed taking his pictures, handing back the camera after ten minutes knowing that he had captured every angle possible.

"Sean, have you got some scrubs that we can put on?"

"Of course."

He looked at Maggie and she went flying out the door, arriving back moments later with three sets of scrubs. Booth pulled his on, unsure of what his job would entail. It could be anything. He watched as she carefully lifted the lid off the body and gently began to touch the remains.

"No obvious scarring to the bone. No visible head injury."

She traveled down more and paused at the hands.

"The distal and intermediate phalanges are broken. There is also slight damage to the proximal phalanges."

Booth smiled widely at Sean.

"See, this I know. She has injured her fingers at all joints"

Bones flashed him a smile.

"Well done"

"I learn from the best."

She continued her way down the rest of the skeleton, returning to the top with a small frown on her face.

"There are no other injuries. Just her hands."

"Bones, I think this girl was killed by someone she trusted."

Sean shook his head, his hands flying to the bow tie that sat at his throat.

"Not possible"

Booth stood in front of the short scientist.

"If she had been killed by a stranger, she never would have gone so willingly. She fought hard"

Bones stepped between them and gave Sean a small smile.

"I'll send some of the remains back to my lab and see what they can find. Do you think that I could have moment alone with Agent Booth?"

Sean bowed slightly and walked out, Maggie close at his heels. Booth turned and followed Bones back to the body.

"I'm right. She was fighting something"

"Do you smell that Booth?"

"Smell what?"

"Lean close and smell her"

Booth frowned but did as he was told. A strong smell, something that he could not put his finger on, burnt his nostrils.

"What is that?"

"Formaldehyde. Mostly used to embalm bodies but I think it had a huge part in her death."

"I thought you hated theories?"

She flashed him another smile.

"I learn from the best."

* * *

It had been a long day. Despite all of Sean's effort's to get Bones to tell him what was going on in the case, she kept quiet. Something that Booth liked to think was because of everything that he had taught her. They ordered in Chinese and with the lap-top propped open between them, talked to Angela as they ate.

"So when is the skull due in?"

Bones waited to finish her mouthful of food before speaking.

"Tonight hopefully. Do you think you could do me a sketch by morning?"

"Yes. You owe me dinner when you get back though. Hey Booth, how are all those intellectuals treating you?"

"Like I'm stupid. Except I think that I absorbed something in the last year, I actually understood what Bones was saying"

"Well that's progress. Do we have a theory yet?"

Booth exchanged a quick look with Bones before answering.

"A tentative one. She was taken by someone she trusted. There was no damage to the skull. Also, formaldehyde played some sort of part."

"Huh?"

"She reeked of it. We have no idea why though"

"Ok, well I'll get Jack to run some tests on the skull, see what secrets that holds. Anything else?"

Bones shook her head.

"That's it."

"You guys had better bring some killer souvenirs home."

"We will. By Ange"

"Bye guys."

Bones clicked her lap-top closed and focused on her food.

"So tell me, why didn't you tell all this to Sean? I thought you trusted him?"

"I do. It's a murder investigation and I would rather not say anything until we have all the details. We don't even know when she died. If formaldehyde was involved, it's nothing more then a guessing game."

"Why?"

"Have you ever heard of Lye?"

"Of course."

"Formaldehyde is far more corrosive then that. It can cause dizziness, asthma, depression, nausea and fatigue just to name a few. In large doses, it would eat through any soft tissue."

"Which makes the body look old."

"Exactly. I do know one thing for certain"

"What?"

"She was put into the formaldehyde while she was alive."

"How long would she have lasted?"

"Ten minutes at most. The fumes would have killed her. But the pain would have been incredible."

"So how would the killer have gotten hold of such large amounts?"

"Anyone considered a trusting student could have. All they would need to say was that they were conducting an experiment. I don't think you would need that much to begin with, 3-4 liters at the most would have been more then sufficient."

"So the killer tells her that he needs her help and then goes with him."

"Trusting that everything would be ok."

"But its not. She gets killed and the murderer thinks he gotten off Scott free"

"The question is was this he first kill?"

"It seems far too neat to be his first. First kills are messy and experimental. This was precise."

"So why dump the body in a tennis court?"

Booth poured her another glass of wine.

"Because he's cocky. We need to go to the police and back track, try to find a connection between other murders."

"So another early morning then?"

"Afraid so. But I'll have breakfast ready for you when you wake up"

Bones smiled widely and pushed away her empty plate.

"Sounds like a plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three – The Woman With The Secrets

The day started the same way as the one before it and Temperance woke up to breakfast and coffee before Booth handed her the overnight bag.

"It's from Jack"

Temperance pulled it open and eagerly read the findings. They had been right. Formaldehyde had been the weapon that had killed their victim. She felt a tug of sadness for this poor girl. The moment when she realized that this person who she trusted was going to kill her must have been the worst in the world.

"Nothing from Angela?"

"Nope. I have a question"

"What?"

"Why is it that we can't stay in the lab late?"

"We have to obey their rules Booth. A different country and a different work ethic means that things that we were doing at home are not allowed here."

"Why is New Zealand any different?"

"Here they are more family focused. You know, finish work at five and be home in time for dinner? That kind of thing."

"You would be screwed"

Temperance arched her eyebrow at him, giving him her best glare.

"Excuse me?"

"You are a workaholic. You need to go to some sort of meeting for that"

"I am not!"

"Yes you are. You would live there if Angela didn't drag you home every once and a while"

"What and you don't have issues leaving your job at the end of the day?"

"No, I don't"

Temperance, outraged by this clear lie, punched him in the arm.

"Liar! I know what you're like. All those open files on your desk and all you want to do is sit back down."

Booth held up his hands, admitting defeat.

"Ok, so I hate leaving work knowing that there is always more work to be done but I know when it is time to give it up."

"No you don't. You pursue every case with the same passion and same determination then the last. You don't give up until the bad guy is caught."

Booth sighed into his bowl of cereal before he raised his coffee cup, clanking it lightly against hers.

"To us workaholics. United we stand-"

"And exhausted we fall"

* * *

Sean fluttered at her side and he was beginning to annoy her. Temperance didn't understand why he was doing that and not allowing her room to work, to breathe or to think. Booth stepped in before she said anything, easing Sean away before leaning in close.

"Better?"

"Much. Thank you"

Booth nodded and moved back to his place off side of the table. She continued to examine the bones. They had spent the morning removing the remaining flesh and then she went over each bone at least twice, trying to look for something that may exclude their theory on what killed the girl. The only bones that were damaged in anyway were her fingers. Nothing else.

"She had never broken a bone in her life. No fractures, no cracking. Her bones are flawless."

"Until now. Is our theory void?"

"Not yet. It's the only thing still holding ground so far. Can you check my phone for me, make sure that I haven't missed any calls?"

"Sure, who is meant to be calling you?"

"Angela. She still hasn't gotten back to me with that ID picture yet"

Booth picked her phone up and flipped it open.

"Nothing yet. Do you want me to call her?"

"No, we had better leave it. She hates it when someone is breathing down her neck"

It took another couple of hours before Bones was ready to leave her remains and head over to the police station with Booth. They explained the situation and spent another couple of hours fishing through missing person reports fitting what little they knew about their victim. They made some copies to keep on hand for when Angela did eventually call and headed out to have some lunch. They located a small café and selected a private booth where they could talk about the case without being overheard.

"Do we know how long this girl was missing?"

Temperance shook her head as she shifted through the pictures again.

"No we don't. She could have been missing a week or a year. We won't know until we've ID her. Then you get to have some fun"

"I do?"

"We need to question her teachers, family and friends over what was going on in her life. The last time that they saw her, things like that. Your area of expertise."

"I actually find this entire process as interesting"

"That is because you never see it from step one to step two. You're always there when all this has already been done."

"I am sometimes there from beginning to end."

"But it's more fun if you're involved."

"So it's like cricket then"

"Cricket?"

"It's much more fun to play then it is to watch."

"Oh. I didn't really play sports."

"I'm not surprised. Sports is a boy thing"

"No it's not! Angela was in all sorts of sports when she was in school."

"I mean in general. Girls were usually on the sidelines cheering the guys on"

"Filling the age old role of cheerleading"

"God Bones, you're cynical"

"Not cynical, just factual."

After they ate their lunch they headed back to the room that contained their latest project, spending a little more time going over the bones again before calling it a day. Their case was on hold until Angela got back to them.

* * *

"Clara Mason"

Bones had insisted that he take the bed. He had put up little argument because the idea of sleeping on a soft bed compared to the hard sofa was far too tempting to resist. He had set his alarm and had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep. Until now. Bones was bouncing on her knees on the bed, the picture pushed into his face.

"Our victim is Clara Mason"

Booth rubbed the balls of his hands into his eyes, trying to clear the last cobwebs of sleep from his brain. He took the picture from her hands, sliding the one that Angela had obviously just sent from beneath the one that they had gotten from the police files. He was always amazed at Angela's talent at being able to get someone's face from nothing more then a bare outline. Clara Mason was a pretty girl, with large brown eyes, straight blonde hair and softly rounding jaw. He glanced at the date that was written beneath the police copy of her picture and looked at Bones.

"She was only missing for a week."

"I told you that formaldehyde would affect the time line for death"

"But this much?"

"Yes. So now we can talk to the family and get some sort of idea what her last days were like."

Booth glanced at the alarm clock that sat beside the bed.

"Not right now Bones, it three in the morning."

He handed her back the pictures and settled himself under the warm covers.

"I have a theory Booth"

"Are you the queen of theories now?"

"No, I just have another theory."

"And what would that be?"

"What if those other missing girls are the other victims?"

"You need to stop theorizing now. That is a bit outlandish, even for you."

"Not if you really think about it"

Instead of taking the hint that he wanted to sleep, Temperance had settled herself on the other side of the bed, still talking.

"You said it yourself Booth. He needed his first victim and because we don't know how long he's been doing this, he could have hundreds."

"How do you know it's a man? Why can't it be a woman?"

"But how do we know it isn't? Can you honestly tell me that if a teacher of the opposite sex asked you for help that you would not give it?"

"Who said anything about this being a teacher?"

Bones rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm just using it as an example. Unless Clara was a lesbian, a male would be more productive to consider then a female."

"So, you don't help a woman just because you are a woman?"

"Not at all. I'm just saying that a girl Clara's age would be more susceptible to men"

Booth pulled the blankets over his head but Bones pulled them back down just as quickly.

"Booth, we need to sort this out"

"Not now Bones. As I pointed out earlier, it is 3am! This is sleeping time for most people"

"You and I are hardly most people"

"You may not be but I like my sleep"

"So I've noticed. Are you really going to go to sleep considering this break through in the case?"

"I would be able to if you get off the bed and leave me alone"

Bones frowned at him and stood.

"Fine. I'm going to be in the living room, doing something that you should be doing. Working!"

She stormed out of the room and Booth sighed back into his pillows. It took ten more minutes for him to realize that he was wide awake and that there was no way that he would be getting back to sleep. He pulled on a shirt and headed to the living room. Bones always won these arguments.

* * *

This was by far the worst part of his job. Telling the family of the deceased that they would never see their loved one again. Worse still, because Clara had only been missing a week, they would still be clinging to the hope that she had simply gone to a friend's house and had forgotten to tell them. They would want something innocent as an explanation and all Booth had was the sinister reality. Even though he was out of his jurisdiction, he offered to be the one to tell Clara's parents. Not because he enjoyed it but because he had the sense of obligation. He was going to see this through until the killer was caught. Bones had decided to trail behind and Booth was glad for the company. Clara's parents lived in a nice neighborhood, the kind where the streets were quiet enough for younger kids to play games and ride their bikes in the middle of the street. The kind where evil didn't visit very often. The door was answered by an older version of Clara herself, no more then forty, Mrs. Mason looked at them hopefully, hungry for any sort of news.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Mason, I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan"

Mrs. Mason smiled brightly at them.

"Did you find Clara?"

Booth kept his voice calm, trying not to give anything away.

"Can we please come in?"

With a blood curdling howl, Mrs. Mason collapsed onto the floor, clutching at her body. Booth moved quickly, helping her stand and leading her to the living room. An older man, with short grey hair and a hard face came running into the room.

"Marcia, what's wrong? Who are you?"

Booth flipped open his badge and the man's face went from anger to fear in one quick instant. He put his arm around his wife, sinking into the seat next to her.

"You found Clara didn't you?"

Booth nodded and kneeled in front of them.

"We found Clara. She was murdered"

The scream the tore from Marcia Mason's throat was one that Bones had heard before. It was the cry of a woman that had lost her child and it was one that ripped through you. Booth turned to Mr. Mason, whose face was fixed back into a hard glare.

"Mr. Mason-"

"Call me Peter"

"Peter, when was the last time that you saw your daughter?"

"A week ago. On a Thursday. She had class and then she was going to the gym. When she didn't come home, we called the police."

"Was it unusual for Clara not to tell you where she was going?"

"She was twenty Mr. Booth. It was hard enough for her to live here with us, let alone have some sort of life"

Bones moved forward, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Why did she live here?"

"She had to. In order to get accommodation on campus you need to live outside a certain radius. She fell into it. It was cheaper for her to live here then it was to get her own place. With her course load she had no time to get a job"

"What was her course load like?"

"Six courses. She wanted a good GPA and she needed it."

"Why?"

"She wanted to do a double major in Anthropology and Sociology."

"What other courses was she taking?"

"English, Statistics, History and Film studies."

Bones nodded, furiously scribbling on a pad that Booth had given her earlier.

"Did Clara have a boyfriend?"

Peter smiled slightly.

"More then one. The man of the hour was Dr. Seth Goodwin"

"Who's he?"

"The professor of Economics at Victoria."

"She was having an affair with a professor?"

"We only found out when we saw her last. She said that she had wanted to move out and when we asked why, she told us. She had planned to move in with him."

Booth exchanged a quick glance with Bones before speaking again.

"Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt your daughter?"

"Other then Mrs. Goodwin? No"

After offering their condolences and promises of keeping in touch, they made their way back to the car. Bones was bursting to say something; he could see it on her face. She had another theory. He had created a monster.

"What is it Bones?"

"What if Goodwin killed Clara to keep her quiet?"

"How in the world would an Economics professor know anything about formaldehyde?"

Bones clicked on her seat belt and gave him a small smile.

"Have you ever heard of the internet?"

"You think that he Googled it?"

"Why not? You can Google anything else"

"Yeah but killing someone with formaldehyde?"

Bones sighed and put her sunglasses on in the harsh Wellington glare.

"He has a motive. We should be happy with that"

Booth sighed back and began the long drive back to the hotel. It was stressful enough to have to drive on the wrong side of the road but with Bones chatting in his ear endlessly, it was damn near impossible. When the hell did Bones become him?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four – The Man With The Wife And Mistress

Seth Goodwin was the kind of man that any girl would go with willingly. Temperance didn't need to check with Angela on that one, she could see it for herself. He was tall and very handsome with just the right amount of grey around his sideburns to almost make him distinguished. He didn't seem at all bothered by their appearance in his office; in fact he remained behind his desk continuing the task that he was tending to earlier.

"So why are you here exactly?""

Booth pulled out the picture of Clara that Angela had drawn and slipped it over the desk to him.

"Do you know this girl?"

Seth Goodwin was not only good at his job, he was good at lying. He looked at the picture before meeting Booth's gaze.

"No I don't. Why?"

Booth ignored the question and met it with one of his own.

"Are you sure? Because we have it on good authority that you were having an affair with her."

"If your good authority is one of my failing students, then you have it wrong."

"It was her parents actually. We know what was going on with you two, we just need to know when was the last time you saw her?"

Seth finally turned his attention fully to the pair, his shoulders slumped.

"I'm a married man. She was my student"

Booth shook his head at the older man.

"We're not here to judge your shitty moral status; we are here to solve a crime"

"Crime? What happened?"

Temperance leaned forward, her face hard. She didn't like this guy. She could not put her finger on it but he rubbed her the wrong way. She had slept with her professor but she was never taken advantage of like Clara had been. He should have stayed away. Kept inside the marriage. If he wanted out, that was what divorce lawyers are for.

"Clara was murdered. Did you do it?"

"Bones, you can't say-"

"How dare you come into my place of work and accuse me of this?"

Booth held out his hand, resisting the urge to clamp the other over his partner's mouth.

"Dr. Goodwin, she did not mean it like that."

"Yes I did"

Dr. Goodwin was standing, his hands on his desk, his face dark.

"Get the hell out of my office before I call security!"

Booth nodded and grabbed her wrist, dragging her from the office before Seth could make good on his threat. He waited until they were outside before confronting Bones and her actions.

"What the hell was that Bones?"

She shrugged at him.

"He did it. I can feel it"

"Jesus Bones, you might have just cost us the entire case!"

"Why?"

"Because now he won't answer anymore questions. Do you think that will help?"

Bones shook her head, realizing just now, what she had done. She didn't mean to speak out of turn; the words just came flying from her mouth.

"Booth, I didn't think-"

"That's your problem Temperance! You just don't think!"

He pulled the car keys from his pocket and tossed them at her.

"You're letting me drive?"

"Yup but I'm not going with you"

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to be anywhere near you right now. I'm going for a walk before I say something that I know I will regret later."

Bones watched him walk off, the wind catching the bottom of his suit coat and whipping it up. She continued to watch him until he was out of sight before heading to the car, feeling guilty. What had she done?

* * *

She spent the rest of the day resisting the urge to call his cell. She then spent the early part of the night doing just that. When he didn't pick up, she tried to take the hint and had a long hot shower instead, hoping that he would be back by the time she got out. He wasn't. She decided that she would again sleep on the sofa and she tried to get some sleep. She failed at that too. The only thing that she was good at was reading bones and the one time that she had the chance to prove other wise, she had thrown it back in Booth's face. What kind of partner would do that? At a loss for what to say to him when he did finally arrive back at the hotel, she pulled out the only thing that she had. She separated the first chapter from the rest of her manuscript and placed it neatly in the center of his bed. She wasn't quite ready to hand over the whole thing but at least she could make an effort. And this was a huge step, even for her. Angela never saw the manuscripts and she was her best friend. Surely this would mean something to Booth. After hours of tossing and turning, Bones finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

He was happy to see that she was sleeping when he walked through the door. He didn't feel up to talking to her yet and after a few drinks in the pub that he had stumbled across, he also didn't think that it was the best idea. He stripped off and was about to collapse on the bed when he saw the manuscript. It was only the first chapter but it spoke volumes more then a verbal apology could. He wanted to read it, he really did but he decided that if Bones was brave enough to put it there then he was strong enough to wait until it was out. She needed something outside of work and for her, this was it. He placed it on the bedside table and clicked off the light, slowly drifting to sleep, his curiosity over what was held within that first chapter dictating his dreams.

* * *

When he woke up, breakfast was there waiting for him. Bones stayed behind her paper, pretending to read it. They ate in silence and were about to leave the hotel when the call came. Booth answered and the conversation was brief before he turned to Bones with a heavy sigh.

"We have the day off"

"Why?"

"Construction on the school. They are shutting the entire thing down so they can get some work done."

"What about our work?"

"Like I said, we have the day off"

Bones sighed and dumped herself onto the sofa, she felt frustrated. They could not let this case wait and yet they had to obey the rules.

"So what do you want to do today?"

"Work. I wanted to interview Clara's family and friends. But then again, I could really do with some fun"

Booth nodded and grabbed her bag, throwing it over his own shoulder.

"Let's go then"

They found the cable car quite easily. They jumped on it and made their way into the central city. It was busier then Bones thought it would be. On the grand scale of things, Wellington seemed small but if you take in the amount of shops and people, it's doing quite well for itself.

"Where do you want to go Bones?"

"I need caffeine"

"Let's find a Starbucks then"

Thankfully, they didn't have to travel far. Just down the road, Bones felt relief as she spotted the familiar green sign. She settled herself in a seat while Booth went and fetched the coffees. She felt so restless. There was so much to be done but the University had put a halt on whatever work they needed to do and her only option was to relax. This had never been her strong point.

"Quadruple shot vanilla latte."

"Thank you"

"Not a problem"

Booth a took a seat across from her and watched the people go past them, trying to think of something for them to do.

"We could go to the museum"

"They have a museum?"

Booth frowned at Bones.

"You know, as much as I admire you, you have to be the dumbest smart person I know!"

"That was a little uncalled for. Not all places have museums."

"This one does. We can catch the train"

"And where's the station?"

"Ok, first we find a map. Happy?"

Bones shrugged and followed him back the way they came. They found the map that they needed and within twenty minutes were on the train to the museum.

"So what is the museum called?"

"Te Papa."

"Oh the growth from the land. I get it now"

"Get what? I don't even know what language that is"

"It's Maori Booth. It's a native tongue that is often spoken here."

"Yeah, still don't get it"

Booth watched the world zip by as they rounded the track. It felt like a long trip and by the time they had gotten to the museum, he was ready to go home. Instead he followed Bones around, faking interest as she explained an artifact, even thought he could have just read it off the card that sat in front of each display. One thing that did fascinate him was a really odd looking bird with a round body, walnut shaped head and a stick like nose.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"It's a Kiwi. That's what New Zealanders are known as"

"They want to be known as that?"

"It really is an incredible bird. It's nocturnal and the long nose is used to dig into the dirt to find worms and bugs."

"Does it fly?"

"No. The wings are far too small for the rest of the body"

"I still think it's strange"

"You would"

She ignored him for the rest of the time that they were at the museum and only spoke when they were back out in the sun.

"You could have really offended people in there Booth"

"How?"

"Insulting the national bird might do the trick"

"You insult people all the time"

"That's different"

"Why?"

Temperance, for the life of her, could not think why it was different. Angela always said that it was something to do with her not getting out of the office as much as she should.

"Do you think that just because you're socially inept that gives you an excuse?"

"No, I just-"

"We're not going to agree on this. Let's just move on"

"We could if you would just give me a chance to speak"

Booth waved his hand and began to walk and Bones had no choice but to follow. They wondered around the museum for a little while longer before deciding that it was time to head back to the hotel. The trip was made in silence and Bones was uncomfortable within it. Booth had been snappy all day and she wondered if it was connected to what happened yesterday. If he remained the strong silent type, she may never find out. When they got back to the hotel, Temperance rang room service and ordered up some food before settling in front of the TV to watch a really bad made for TV film. Booth had gone into the room without a word and she was uncertain as to what she was meant to do. Should she follow him? Her thoughts were cut off as he phone started to ring and she picked it up with a sigh.

"Brennan"

"Dr Brennan, this is Detective Max Keener."

"How can I help you Detective?"

"As you know the construction of the University resumed today and earlier this afternoon, we made a rather unpleasant discovery"

"What would that be?"

"We found another body"

"Do the remains look like the last victim, Clara?"

"I'm afraid so. Is there anyway that you could come down here and have a look? I need your ok before I continue allowing the school to build"

"Detective, you know as well as I do the likelihood of finding more bodies at this point is high. The building will have to stop"

"I know Dr. Brennan but with your reputation, it would be far better if you signed off on that order."

"Fine. My partner and I will be there within the hour"

"Thank you Dr. Brennan. See you soon"

Temperance closed her phone and knocked softy on the bedroom door. Booth pulled it open and gave her a questioning look.

"We have another body"

Booth nodded and grabbed his coat.

"Let's roll."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five - The Girl With The Cuts

This girl had suffered the same end as Clara. It took Temperance a mere second to decide that this man, whoever he was, was most definitely a serial killer.

"We have a serial killer Booth"

"Are you sure?"

"She died the same way as Clara"

Booth nodded and took her opinion as fact. Bones was rarely ever wrong and when she was, she didn't offer her views as quickly as she had just done. They had been there for a few hours now and the second body was laid out flat on one of the special metal tables that Clara had been on earlier. She looked the same as Clara that much even he could tell with untrained eyes. Her flesh had been stripped from the bone and the same heavy, sour smell filled the air.

"Formaldehyde?"

Temperance nodded as she continued with her examination.

"Definitely. I'll send the skull to Hodgins so that he can confirm it and then Angela can hopefully give us an ID on her"

"We need the police to start a search for the other bodies"

"As long as you support what I say, then we can"

They exchanged a long look and for the first time all day, Booth gave her a wide smile.

"Of course I support what you say Bones. Other then your occasional slip, you are mostly on the right track. I'll give them a call, get a unit in"

Booth turned and walked a little away from her and the body, giving her a little space to finish what she needed to. The bones were, as with Clara, undamaged. The only part that was not intact was the hands but she had been expecting that. It would be far too easy and far too nice if it had been a simple single killing case. God know how long this guy had been killing for. The fact that they had found her in the debris of one of the old lecture theatres indicated that this girl, whoever she was, was a fairly recent kill. Temperance wondered if they would ever find the first girl to suffer this terrible fate. He returned to her side a few moments later, his hands back in his pockets.

"They are getting a team together as we speak. They should be here within the hour"

"Ok. We don't have any real suspects."

"We have professor Goodwin"

"Yeah but he hardly seems the type does he? He would be more likely to put you to sleep with stats and figures rather then stick you in a formaldehyde bath"

"Did you just crack a joke Bones?"

"I believe I did"

"Congratulations"

"Thank you"

She resumed what was left of her examination and by the time she was finished, Booth had left to go and help organize the search for the other bodies that they were sure were waiting for them. Their fight over, Temperance felt better. With Booth she didn't need an apology to make things better, just for them to go back to the way that they always had been would be fine. It always did the trick. She pulled off her scrubs and headed outside. Much to her surprise, there were at least one hundred people there, listening to Booth telling them what he could about the case so far. Most of them looked like volunteers but she knew that they were often the best people to have on a search. They were overly cautious and super aware of their surroundings, taking nothing for granted. Sure, they sometimes stuffed up but that was a small price to pay for finding a body. Booth separated them into groups of six and sent them in different directions on the large building site before he pulled off his coat and joined one of the groups closest to him. Temperance took his lead and joined a group of young guys that were chatting as they searched. She stayed quiet as she listened to their conversation.

"Hey Wyatt, do you think we'll get a reward if we find anyone?"

"Nah man. But we will help find a serial killer"

"Cool"

Her team fell into silence as they searched the ground for any clues. It took only an hour before a shout went up from one of the teams on the other side of the site and Temperance ran over, Booth close on her heels. The body was the same as the two victims before it and Temperance called over the ambulance crew that were waiting near by, watching carefully as they loaded the body into a clean bag and wheeled it back into the building where the other body was waiting. For the rest of the night they dug and unearthed a total of twelve victims but they all were in the same state. Temperance wanted the first victim, the one that signaled the beginning of their killer's madness. At two the following morning Booth came to her side, leaning in close.

"We found another body but I don't think it's connected to this"

"What makes you say that?"

"Come and see for yourself"

Temperance followed him to an area right off the side of the site. As she looked at the body, she had moment of belief in Booth's theory. This girl looked like she belonged to another case entirely. Her flesh, though well into the later stages of decomposition, was still on her frame and from what Temperance could see, she had a severe head injury.

"Pass me the trowel"

It was in her hand before she could complete her sentence and she began to dig near the bottom of the girl's concrete grave, exposing her feet. There was still a little flesh there but most of it appeared to be burnt onto the bone. She moved up a little and shined her torch onto the girl's hands. There were cuts there, all different sizes and depths but they gave Temperance everything that she needed to know.

"M.O's develop over time, right Booth?"

"Yeah"

"And the first kill is usually messy and experimental?"

"Correct"

She handed him the trowel and dusted off her knees as she stood.

"We just found our first victim"

* * *

Temperance was explaining her theory over coffee that some medical students had brought them. She was bone tired and would have given anything for a few hours sleep but there was work to be done and no one else could do it except her and Booth.

"So because she had cuts on her hands she was the first to die?"

"Exactly"

"I'm sorry Bones but I'm so tired that you're not making much sense"

Temperance sighed and started again.

"It's his first kill so he is not completely sure what he is doing. He lures her into his lab of terror and begins his little experiment. He doesn't use enough formaldehyde and so she doesn't die as quickly he was expecting her too. She fighting and freaking out and knocks over whatever he has encased her in. We can safely assume that it's glass because of the lacerations in her hands. So she may have escaped from that. He panics and then he hits her over the head"

Booth's eyes widened and he gave her a smile.

"Very nice Bones"

"And it only took you two goes to get it."

"Like I said, I am tired. So what now?"

"We work on identifying those bodies that we found. All I know is that they are all female and they all died in the same manner. So I've sent the skulls over to Hodgins and Angela to confirm C.O.D and try to give us an idea of what they look like."

"Then we try to connect them to someone"

"Precisely"

Booth stretched his arms out of his head and Temperance could hear the soft cracking of his joints as they realigned.

"Back to work then?"

"I'm afraid so"

* * *

The only body that she insisted remain intact was that of victim number one. Temperance wanted to study her as much as possible; getting everything she could from the body before taking it apart for ID and C.O.D. However, she was fairly certain that they could tell what had killed her already. It wasn't as she had first suspected. The head wound was far more sinister then she had first realized. She had been stabbed in the back of her head. With what, she had no idea. But it pointed to a very panicked person desperate to cover their own tracks. She carefully extracted the thin slivers of glass that were embedded in the hands, placing them in an evidence bag for later, when she could examine them without anyone looking over her shoulder. Without Booth around, this place felt creepy and uninviting. She didn't have her normal equipment or her team there to support her. And for some strange reason, she always felt as if she was being watched. She had asked Booth to get rid of the cameras that surrounded the room; they didn't need this case getting out before they had a chance to catch the guy that had made this mess. Even with the cameras gone, she still felt as if there was someone breathing down her back. Perhaps it was because she was on hyper-alert or maybe it was her imagination but she could almost swear she heard soft footsteps in the hall that went past the room. Booth would have been horrified at her for brazenly opening the door and looking to the right then the left. She saw nothing. Mind you it was hard to see anything at all when the only light were the small streams from her lamp that made it out into the hall.

"Hello"

Great, now she was turning into one of those girls that she saw in horror movies with Angela. The ones that poked their heads out into the dark when they heard something, only to lose their heads to a madman with an axe or knife. Mostly she said it because if it was Booth walking around, she didn't want to hurt him because he had startled her. When no answer came, she put it down to her imagination and got back to work. A few minutes later she heard the steps again, this time they were closer to the door. Temperance was not normally afraid of many things. She could take care of herself but the fact that she was alone in a big building in a foreign country made her nerves pull taunt. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight and she knew then that it had nothing to do with her imagination. Someone was watching her. She walked over to the door and locked it and then just to be on the safe side, sat on the floor in front of it, lending the wood extra weight. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Booth's number. She didn't care if he was doing something important. The case had taken a sudden, very scary turn and she needed him there.

"Booth"

"Booth, it's me. You need to come back to the University"

"Why? What's wrong?"

She tried to keep the fear and the panic from her voice but she knew that Booth had heard it.

"Someone is here"

"Who?"

"I don't know. I do know that someone is watching me. I keep hearing noises up and down the hall and before you say anything, I know it's not my imagination. I'm really scared."

"Ok, stay calm. I'm getting into the car now. Did you want me to stay on the line?"

"No, just get here as quickly as you can"

"I plan to"

She clicked her phone closed and strained her ears, pressing one against the door. She could hear the steps again and this time they paused right outside the door. She could tell they were wearing sneakers, she could hear the soft squeak of the sole on the polished floor. She could also hear them breathing. She wanted to pull open the door and confront them but for some reason, she was really scared. Something had freaked her out but she had no idea what. All she knew was that she was not leaving her position on the floor until Booth arrived. Temperance watched in horror as the door handle moved up and down before a swift kick was delivered to the door, one that vibrated her entire back. She popped open her phone again, ready to call Booth if need be. The breathing and door handle shuffling continued for a few more moments before finally stopping but that did nothing to ease Temperance's fears. She could still hear them outside the door, pacing slightly.

"HEY!"

Booth's voice echoed down the hall and then she heard another flurry of steps as Booth rushed after whomever it was that had been lurking in the hallway. Temperance still didn't move. She felt foolish for sitting there but with fifteen dead bodies and a killer still on the lose, there was far too much at stake. The killer would be desperate, wanting to cover his crimes. Who best to get rid of then the woman who wanted to have you caught? That was her logic anyway and that was the reason she continued to lean on the door.

"Bones open the door."

Temperance got up from her position and unlocked the door, pulling it open and letting a still puffing Booth, fall into the room.

"Who was it Booth?"

"I have no idea. One minute he was in front of me, the next he was gone. Are you ok?"

He put on his concerned face and placed a hand on her arm and she suddenly felt silly.

"I feel stupid. I was fine Booth"

Booth shook his head at her as he closed and locked the door.

"Someone was lurking not only around you but also a crime scene. In an open case like this, you were not going to be fine. Worse still, I left you alone"

"I know but you need all the help you can get, even if you won't admit it. You do realize that you're shaking, right?"

She looked down at her hands and could not believe just how much they were trembling. She also felt her heart pounding hard and fast in her chest.

"I must be cold."

Booth nodded and swallowed the lie that she had just handed him. He took off his suit coat and popped it around her shoulders.

"Are you ready to go back to the hotel?"

"Not with someone lurking so close to the remains. I think I would rather just stay here"

Booth looked around the room and spotted a rather comfortable looking chair that lay forgotten in the corner. He went shuffling through some of the cupboards and produced two blankets.

"What is this room anyway?"

"Storage I think"

"That explains it then. Right, I need to use the bathroom and you are coming with me"

"What?"

Booth smiled at her as he withdrew his gun.

"We are going to take a toilet break before coming back. Did they give you a key to this room?"

"Yes"

"Ok, so lock the door after us and we'll be back in no time. There is a set of bathrooms near the end of the hall and we'll hear something if someone tried to get in"

"This is a bit much Booth, even for you"

"You were freaked out Bones; I can still see it on your face. Until that look goes away, I'm not going anywhere"

Temperance rolled her eyes and followed him out the door, locking it quickly behind them. Booth led her down the hall and into the closest set of toilets, which happened to be the woman's one anyway. Thankfully Temperance, thanks to her years of traveling to the remotest parts of the world, had never developed a shy bladder. If she needed to go, she went. No questions asked. She put on her internal iPod as she waited for Booth before they headed back to the room. Booth locked the door behind them before pointing to the make shift bed that he had made her out of the seat.

"Get some rest"

"What about you?"

"We'll take shifts. I'll wake you up in a few hours."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He took the seat that she had been using to wheel around the body, doing his best to make himself comfortable. He laid his gun on the table. Ready to use if need be. He almost felt like he was on a stake out and it was purely on that instinct that his eyes became trained on the door, his ears straining to catch anything that was out of the ordinary. When he finally glanced down at Bones, he had to smile. She had fallen asleep before she had even gotten the chance to put the blanket on. He stood and popped the blanket over her, making sure to tuck in her feet and arms. These old buildings could get pretty cold; he knew that from personal experience. He grabbed the other blanket and draped it over his own legs as he settled himself in the chair again, his eyes falling back to the spot on the door, his ears once again waiting for anything to indicate they had another visitor.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six – The Bodyguard With The Bullet

He never woke her up. That was the first thought that popped into her head as she woke up, stretching the kinks out of her body from sleeping on the chair. Truth be told, that was one of the best rests she had had since she had arrived here. It took her a moment to realize that Booth wasn't in the room and that the door sat open. She was just about to get off the chair when a face popped around the corner of the door and gave her a bright smile.

"Hello Dr. Brennan, I'm Officer Karl Allan"

"Hello. What are you doing out there?"

"Mr. Booth said that I was to remain here until you woke up. That no one, other then himself, was allowed into the room. It's for your protection as well as that of the remains"

"Ok, well I'm up now. So you can go"

"Sorry Dr. Brennan but Mr. Booth also said I was to give you a ride back to the hotel"

Temperance said nothing, refusing to unmask her anger on a poor kid that Booth had obviously charmed. She let it fester on the ride back to the hotel, thanking Karl the best she could before entering her room. She could hear the shower running and without a second thought, she burst into the bathroom.

"Do you really think I need a bodyguard?"

Booth moved quickly, pulled the shower curtain over to cover himself.

"Bones, I'm in the shower!"

"I'm not blind, I can see that. I want to know why you felt I needed a bodyguard."

"He could have come back at any point"

"So you left me in the hands of a kid?"

"Karl Allan is one of the top bodyguards in this country, despite what he looks like."

"He's a kid"

"Madonna hired him when she came here for a concert, as have numerous big named stars."

"I don't care if he washed Mother Teresa's feet, I don't need protection Booth!"

"Last night you did. You were freaked out and so was I. I didn't want to leave you there alone"

"Why didn't you wake me up then?"

"You were exhausted."

"So are you. You've had about the same amount of sleep as me"

"I'm used to it"

"So am I! I'm not a china doll; I do not need to be handled with kid gloves!"

She slammed the door hard to emphasize her point before huffing into the room to get changed. She had no idea why, but the idea that Booth had left her in the care of a stranger really grated her nerves. A few minutes later, Booth knocked on the door and smiled at her slightly.

"Don't be mad at me, I was trying to do the right thing"

"Have you slept yet?"

"No"

She pulled back the covers of the bed and pushed him towards it.

"Get some sleep. I'll get you if I hear anything from Angela"

"You're not going back to the school?"

"Not for the moment. I put Karl to good use though"

"How so?"

"He's playing bodyguard to a set of remains"

Temperance turned to leave but Booth stopped her with a hand on her wrist. He picked up the first chapter of her manuscript off the table and handed it to her.

"I never read it, just so you know"

"Why?"

"I would rather wait. This is your thing and I really do not want to invade your personal space."

She gave him a bright smile.

"Thank you. I really appreciate that"

She closed the door softly behind her and headed to her backpack that lay on the floor beside the sofa. She carefully attached the chapter to its rightful place before popping them all back into the bag.

* * *

When she woke Booth up it was only because they finally had the first three identities for the bodies. She expected more but she knew that time that it took for Angela to construct each one. She would have been working all night just to get these three. All of them were fairly pretty girls and none of them were older then twenty. Had did these girls go unmissed? She woke Booth up and made him a cup of coffee, waiting until he was conscious enough to show him the pictures.

"So now we need to go the police station and get some names for them, right?"

Booth nodded slightly before frowning at her.

"I think you had better get back to those remains"

"Why?"

"Because someone wants this entire thing stopped. You need to be with those remains"

"But we haven't I.D her yet."

"But we are about to I.D more. He's going to get more extreme to make sure that our job never gets completed."

"So I have to be baby-sat while you go and have all the fun?"

"Its hardly fun Bones"

"You know what I mean. What if he comes back?"

"Keep Karl around."

"Fine"

She would have put up more of a fight but she saw Booth's reasoning. It didn't mean she had to agree with it however.

"Ok but I want in if you find some sort of lead. Deal?"

"Deal. Come on, I'll drop you off"

She sighed and made a big show but she knew that he was right. She was in danger doing a case. Again. This was hardly an unusual situation for her. Yet when she was around Booth, he took it on himself to make sure that that danger, whatever it may be, was minimized. Temperance appreciated it, she really did. She just wasn't used to it. Every since Russ had left her, she had no one to rely on except herself and that had always been enough. Now her partner took on that position, as if he had been doing it for years. It was nice but it was hard to get used to.

* * *

So that was how her afternoon panned out. Karl stayed with her, just standing outside of the door, coming in every few hours with a fresh cup of coffee but otherwise allowing her to work. She didn't hear anything from Booth until well after it had become dark but when he did arrive, it was with good news.

"We have three more I.D's"

"Who are they?"

Booth laid the pictures out in a sad little fan.

"Samantha Jones – 19, Alice Walker – 19 and Rebecca Hardgrove also 19"

"Have you talked to their families yet?"

"No. I was busy looking through the missing persons files to try and track down any that could fit the other bodies. Nothing came up. What about you?"

Temperance gave him a smile before pulling out her own notes that she had jotted down during the last of her examination.

"She's been dead about a year. The cool weather kept her decomposition at a slower rate, that was why there was more flesh on her and her clothes were still intact. I took samples from her hands last night and I managed to get Karl to find me a microscope so that I could try and find out what they came from"

"And?"

"It was just normal glass. There is nothing out of the ordinary about it"

"And the head wound?"

"The part that entered her head, was triangular, an unusual shape. I'll send it to Hodgins to make sure that we I.D it."

"Good. Now are you ready to get some sleep yet, because I'm dead on my feet."

"What about the remains? After what happened last night, I don't want to leave them alone"

"Karl will be here. She'll be fine with him"

Temperance, despite her moment of pride, decided that she needed sleep more then she needed to be here. She was as tired as Booth and a bed, or a sofa sounded good at this point.

* * *

When they arrived back at the school in the morning, the building was surrounded by police tape. Temperance, despite Booth's protests, pushed past the police officers and headed to the room where their first victim had been staying for the last couple of days. The remains were gone and in there place was another set. Only this time they were fresher and Temperance recognized them with a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach..

"Booth, its Karl"

"Shit."

Booth pushed the police officers that moved forward back, matching it with a hard glare as he knelt down beside her. Karl was laying on his side and Booth could see clearly the bullet wound that had taken the life from the young man. Booth felt the wight of guilt settle on his shoulders and he could see the same feeling coming into Temperance's eyes.

"He died trying to protect the remains."

"He died doing his job Bones. He knew the risks."

"Did he have a family?"

"I can find out"

"Please."

They stood back and watched as the coroner came and took the body away. Booth shuffled Temperance off into the room where the remains had been stolen and they each stood in the center, trying to figure out where to go from here.

"Did you manage to send the skull off?"

"Yes."

"Then we have what we need?"

Temperance ignored the question and moved over to the far corner of the room where she had been keeping her notes in the old filing cabinet. There was no reason for anyone to know that they were there. The only person who knew was Booth. She pulled open the draw and felt like crying when she saw nothing but empty air.

"They took my notes."

"Do you remember them?"

Temperance nodded and Booth pulled out a notepad at the same time as he closed the door with his foot.

"Ok, you pace or whatever you do and I'll write."

She offered him a small smile.

"You don't need to do that. I can remember them and I faxed copies over to Angela anyway. So I can just get her to fax the copies back"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Thanks anyway"

She took a seat on the corner of the desk and Booth came to sit beside her, his feet bumping the wood lightly.

"Are you ok Bones?"

"Not really. Whoever was trying to get to me got Karl instead."

"That was his job. He risked his life for others."

"It didn't work though, did it? The killer still got the remains and we're left here twiddling our thumbs."

"Mourning the loss of someone on your team is hardly a waste of time"

"I didn't have a lot of time to get to know him Booth but he was a nice guy, he really was. He kept bringing me coffee and bagels, making sure that I was ok after the fright I had last night. He was a little like you, only shorter."

Booth smiled at her and tapped her knee.

"We'll get him Bones"

"Promise?"

"Promise"

She nodded, satisfied with his answer. If Booth said that they would, then they would. The only problem was how.

"I think I found a connection"

She watched as Booth pulled a file out from inside his shirt and opened it for her to read.

"Kyle Manson"

"Why is he a connection Booth?"

"He's chemistry major and has a reputation for using volatile chemicals for explosions in his backyard. How is that for a connection?"

"When did you work on this?"

"I hate to quote a movie title but while you were sleeping"

"So how does he get connected to all these girls?"

"Clara was in his class last year and he used to date two of our other victims."

"Sounds good"

"Bones, it's the first solid lead we have had in a while and that's all you can say?"

Temperance sighed and listened to the cleaning crew that had settled themselves just outside the door.

"I would say more but it hardly seems appropriate"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven – The Boy With The Scars

This was not the student life she was used to seeing. When she went to college, she mainly stayed in her room, away from all the hustle and bustle of parties and drinking. She would listen from her room to all the excitement but that was as close as she got. She was too busy getting an education to do anything else. In Wellington, it seems as if the students only really focused on two things: Sleeping and drinking. Even on a weekday at this time in the morning, they drove past houses with people on the front lawn listening to bad music loudly and drinking beer. Booth smiled at them, occasionally waving.

"Good to see that student life doesn't really change, no matter what part of the world you are on"

"I never really got to see this part of it"  
"Oh you missed you. Half if the fun is held when the adults leave and it's just the students."

"How in the world do they get anything done?"

"Things got done. Usually in an all night cramming session the day before a test or an essay that is due. This is how I lived my college experience."

"I just lost a little bit of respect for you."

Booth shrugged with a little half smile. He had had fun in college and even with all the drinking, sleeping and sex that went on he still somehow managed to pass with pretty good grades. He could not quite remember how he did it but he did. A loud bang echoed and Booth took a sharp left as he followed the sound, stopping the car just outside an old, run down student housing complex.

"I think we've found the right address"

They tried knocking on the door and when no response came, the followed the cracked path around to the back of the house. There were five boys, all standing around in various stages of undress, gathering around an object that Temperance could not see. Suddenly they stepped back quickly and another loud bang echoed through the sky.

"Hey guys, care to tell us what the hell you are doing?"

They all turned and looked at the unwelcome visitors. As a pair, she and Booth always got the same reaction. They would, more often then not, leer at her and glare at Booth. She had no idea why it always worked this way but it did. She spotted the beer cans that littered the far corner of the yard, as well as those in there hands and decided to state the obvious.

"You're drunk"

The boys all glanced at each other, nodding before bursting into laughter. Booth pulled out the picture of Karl Mason and glanced at all the boys in turn before finally settling on the boy with the blue shorts and badly bleached hair.

"We're here to talk to you, Karl"

Suddenly, the laughter stopped. All the boys turned to Karl, their mouths wide with shock. Karl stepped forward, swaying slightly.

"What the hell do you want?"

"We need to talk to you about Clara"

Karl frowned at Booth.

"Why?"

"We're just closing up some loose ends. Do you have a place that we can talk privately?"

Karl nodded before turning back to his friends.

"You fuckers stay here."

He then led them into the house and down a hall before turning off into what Temperance assumed was his room. It reeked of old beer and stale pizza. Karl took a seat at the end of a messy bed and looked at them, his eyes narrowed. Temperance may not have been a wild party animal when she was in college but she was a scientist and she knew that he was on something. She just could not put her finger on it. And it had nothing to do with alcohol. She leaned forward, getting as close as she dared.

"What are you on?"

"Nothing, just the natural high that life brings."

Booth began his questioning while Temperance studied the young man carefully. She looked at his hands and felt a jolt travel down her spine. His palms and finger pads were covered in little cuts, all of them varying in age and healing. If he did kill their first victim, then he would have the cuts.

"Why do you have cuts on your hands?"

Karl looked down at his hands, almost as if he was seeing them for the first time.

"I like to explode things and sometimes I'm a little slow backing off."

The truth seemed to dawn on him at the moment and he frowned at Booth.

"You think I killed Carla."

"Did you?"

Karl stood and shook his head.

"No, I loved her. Unfortunately, she was in love with that krusty economics professor."

Temperance pushed aside her feelings of disbelief and decided to give the kid the benefit of the doubt.

"Do you think that he could have killed Carla?"

"That man could not find his ass in the dark with both hands, let alone figure out how to kill someone"

"I have seen dumber people kill. It has nothing to do with intelligence but more to do with cunning"

"I didn't kill Carla. You can suspect me all you want but I didn't hurt her"

Booth nodded and took over with one final question.

"Where were you two nights ago?"

"At a party next door."

Booth nodded again and began to leave the room before turning to face Karl again.

"Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt Carla?"

"There is a guy in our Chemistry class who had a serious crush on her. He would write her notes, leave flowers and call her in the middle of the night. It creeped her out. She told him to piss off."

"What did he do?"

"Lost it. He screamed at her that she would pay for what she had done and regret not going out with him."

"What's his name?"

"Brendan Fisher"

Temperance followed Booth back out into the bright sun, enjoying the fresh air.

"What now?"

"We go and interview this Fisher kid. Hopefully get some kind of lead"

"Or another false one."

"Either way, we will be moving. Let's go"

* * *

They got nowhere with the kid and Temperance had the sneaking suspicion that this case was rapidly turning cold on them. Every lead led to nothing more then a dead end and she was getting tired of it. They were leaving in two days and the only thing that they were gaining ground on was the body count. They had managed to I.D all of the remains and had collected their files from the police, talked to the families but there was nothing to be seen to unearth. She felt like she had failed. She could see the same feeling in Booth's eyes, along with the guilt of not being able to keep his promise. The murderer was slipping away and they could both feel it. Worse still, there was nothing that they could do. So Booth had returned to the hotel and she had slipped away back to the school as soon as he had hopped into the shower. She needed so time alone to think, to try and cling the loose pieces of this case together. She needed to catch this person, whoever they may be. They had killed fourteen people, without reason, not one that she could see anyway. Perhaps it was enjoyment of the pain that the victims felt that got this guy off or even the idea that he had control over life and death. The normal stuff that tended to drive killers into the pit of madness. Either way, she needed to know what made this guy tick. If you could get into their heads, it was far easier to catch them. Booth had told her that over and over again but she had never really listened. Until now. This case was getting under her skin and the itch was beginning to drive her crazy. She settled herself behind the desk in the room that she had been working in over the last few days and let her mind wonder. She wanted to know what this guy thought about and how he functioned. H was intelligent, that much they already knew. He may not have known the right measurements to be effective to take someone's life initially but he learned fairly quickly. Perhaps this lack of knowledge indicated that this was not his normal field of comfort. He was trusted, the girls followed him willingly and didn't struggle when he had them in whatever kind of confinement that he had placed them in. He had also been clever in hiding the bodies. He knew the layout of the campus and knew his victims. Temperance doubted that he had even been on their list of suspects. He would seem harmless. That was how he had gotten away with so much and had continued his killing spree.

"Temperance, hardly surprised to see you here"

Temperance almost jumped out of her skin as her mind became her own again and she focused on the voice. Dr. Sean Asquith stood in the doorway, a small smile on his face as he moved closer to the desk.

"I didn't mean to startle you"

Temperance gave herself a quick shake before he returned his smile.

"It's ok, I was just a little lost in thought about the case."

"Ah yes, the case. How is it going by the way?"

Temperance decided that she would keep the truth of the case to herself.

"Good, it's going good. We have a few hot leads."

"You are starting to sound like Special Agent Booth. He won't tell me anything either"

"You know how it works Sean. You say nothing until the case is broken."

"I know I just thought that you could hand over a little professional courtesy and tell me if there was anything that I could do to help you"

"I can't think of anything but if I do, you'll be the first to know."

Sean gave her another smile before crossing his thin arms over his chest.

"Do you want to see what I've been working on recently?"

Temperance wanted to resist the temptation, she really did but her curiosity got the better of her.

"What's the case?"

"A skull was found in an ancient burial ground."

"Wow. Have you determined if it was from that period?"

"Not yet. So, do you want to take a look?"

Temperance nodded and followed her colleague out of the room and back down the hall.

* * *

When Booth got out of the shower and realized that Bones had gone, he wasn't too worried. She had been aggravated since they had gotten back from the Fisher interview and when they discovered that yet again they had nothing to go on, she had become silent. He was just as pissed as she was but he was used to this horrible feeling. He knew what it was like to hit your head against a brick wall over and over again, getting nowhere. The worst part was the knowledge that you were going to remain that way, still, unable to move. He had been haunted by these kinds of cases, the ones that had gotten away. He hated the idea that Bones was going through this with him, she was used to solving her cases. None of them went cold, she always kept them moving and with the determination that he now only associated with her, solved them. Fourteen bodies and one killer, no suspects and no leads. More for the sake of something to do more then anything else, Booth opened the file and began to read over the case. He looked at each of the girls, each of the suspects before looking at the pictures of Karl Allen that they had tucked inside. All these lives wasted for nothing more then a killer's cheap thrill. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Bones number and waited for her to pick up but he just got her voice mail. He left it for an hour before trying again. Now he was getting a little concerned. She was never far from her phone. He ignored the worry and focused on the file in front of him. It was then that he saw something that he had missed the entire time. Hiding in plain sight had been the very thing that he had needed. All the girls had taken the same class at some point in their academic years. Anthropology. And they had all had the same professor, Dr. Sean Asquith. Booth tried her phone one last time before deciding that there was no way that he was going to sit there idle. Bones was at the school right now and after what had happened the other night, she was in danger. More danger then she even realized. It didn't matter to him the reason, nor did it matter that the very person who caused these deaths was a silly little man who wore a bow tie. All that mattered was the fact that Bones was unsafe. At the moment that was all that mattered to him.

* * *

Temperance knew something was up the moment that Sean began leading her down a set of dark, twisting stairs. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up; the same that they had been when she was sure that she was being watched. The muscles in her back stiffened but for a reason beyond her, she continued to follow him. Her drive for the truth was pushing her forward, making her steps seem far surer then she was.

"Where are we going Sean?"

"To a basement that hardly anyone knows about"

"How do you know about it?"

"I stumbled across it about three years ago. It's the perfect place to house remains as well as conducting experiments."

"What kind of experiments?"

"I'll show you when we get there."

Temperance felt her phone vibrating in her pocket but she ignored the demand. She knew that it would be Booth and if she let it ring, he would know that something was up.

"Here we go"

Sean opened the door at the bottom of the steps and it swung heavily on its rusted hinges. She followed him into the room and she knew instantly what had happened to each of the girls.

"How did you get them to follow you Sean?"

Sean turned to her and she saw the monster that had been lurking there the entire time. He was no longer the little, harmless man that she had worked side by side with so many times over the years. His smile was nothing more then pure evil and it morphed his face.

"So you figured it out Temperance? About time too. Your partner is still in the dark I'm guessing"

"Booth will figure it out"

"So he should. That is his job after all."

"Why did you call me here?"

"I had to Temperance, I had no other option. With the police and detectives breathing down my neck."

Temperance moved further into the room and the first thing that struck her was the glass cage that sat in the middle. She went over to it, running her fingers over the smooth surface.

"So you would lure them down here with you and stick them in here. How does this work?"

Most of the killers that she had met over the years denied their crimes, even when the evidence was stacked against them. Sean Asquith was something else entirely. He moved closer and his arrogance rolled off in waves.

"It is pressure sensitive. The moment that there is an even weight distribution on the floor, the formaldehyde flows in from a storage tank beneath the floor boards."

Temperance heard the click before the barrel of the gun pressed into her back.

"I haven't been alone down here, you know."

Sean pushed her towards the corner of the room and she knew instantly what he was going to show her. His first victim stood in the corner of the room, supported by pins and stings that kept her bones from falling down completely. She looked absurd without her skull and it made Temperance sick to her stomach to know that even though the victim was dead, she was still being exploited in such a vile way.

"What was her name Sean? Do you even remember?"

"I thought you had figured that out? You did send the skull off didn't you?"

"Yes but I haven't gotten the results back yet. What is her name?"

"Elizabeth Laurie. She had a great mind for Anthropology but not much else"

In a bid to starve off his need to kill her, Temperance knew that she had to keep him talking. If she fired off enough questions, she would not only learn why but perhaps distract him enough to do something. She just needed him to let his guard down slightly.

"How did you pick your victims?"

Sean laughed behind her and she felt the pressure of the gun leave her back and she turned slowly to face him. He raised the gun again, aiming for her heart, which was hammering at lighting speed against her chest.

"I was angry Temperance. No one takes this course seriously anymore. It is called a 'bird' course for a reason. Students just fly through. I changed things, made them harder but then I still had stupid kids walking into my room."

"So you started killing them?"

"Not quite. I only killed those who demanded a change in their grade for whatever reason. Elizabeth got a C+ on one test and did just that. I told her that she could get extra credit if she helped me conduct an experiment that could change the face of anthropology forever"

"How did you stumble across formaldehyde?"

"I joined a chat site run by Karl Manson. There I found everything I needed. This box is what many suggested criminals should be put in"

"So you decided to put innocent young woman in there? What about my body guard?"

"I needed the body. You should know better then anyone that murderers like trophies."

"Why? What made you turn from bones to this?"

"I wanted people to see me and see what anthropology really is."

"Why did you call me to solve this case?"

"Because people who have suspected something if I had done nothing"

Sean gave her a small smile and advanced on her with small, slow steps.

"You are going to be part of this little story Temperance. You're going to get into the box now."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight - The Woman In The Box

The moment that Booth entered the room, he knew that there was something seriously wrong. There was no sign of violence but it was the little things that gave it away, those were the things that sent the nausea into his throat. Her cell phone sat on the desk, his unread messages making the light on the corner blink red. The files that she had been so protective of sat open and exposed on the desk. She had been caught out by Sean and she trusted him. Up until this point he had never given them a reason to not trust him. He moved behind the desk, being careful to not touch anything. She had been doing what he had been, trying to find a link between their victims. She had highlighted things in their lives that she though had meant something, jotting little notes in the corners of their pictures, all the previously blank spaces filled with her rushed handwriting. She had missed the connection as well but now Booth knew why. After the interview with Goodwin, they had unintentionally redirected their focus to those with personal connections. A professor would hardly be classed as a personal connection. In most cases anyway. Booth gathered his mind together and glanced at the map that Bones, for reason's known only to her, had pinned on the board on the wall. The plans were far more detailed then those on just any map and he could even see the penciled in outlines for the hopes of the new buildings when construction finished. Booth quickly located where he was before trying to figure out where they may be. There were so many new and old passage ways that few knew about and he didn't have the time to check each and every single one. He guessed that an hour or two had passed since she had left the office and that was more then enough time to get to most places on campus. However, since Sean was an anthropologist, wouldn't he want to stick close to home? There were six old passage ways where they could have gone. Then again there were at least another thirty new passage ways that could assist the good doctor. On nothing but a strong gut instinct, Booth decided that his best bet would be the older tunnels. He had nothing more to go on but everything to lose.

* * *

"No"

"Sorry?"

"I'm not becoming one of your victims. I'm sorry Sean but the game is up and the killing stops here."

Sean frowned at her, as if confused by her statement.

"I thought the gun made it clear that you have no choice in the matter?"

Temperance tried to ignore the hammering of her heart and continued to stand her ground. If she was going to die, she would rather it be from a gunshot wound rather then being all but dunked into formaldehyde.

"No Sean."

He looked confused. Perhaps he was used to girls that said nothing in their fear, stepping into the box, hoping that someone would hear their prayers. Unfortunately for Sean, Temperance was not a poor vulnerable school girl and she intended to fight for is long and it took for Booth to come. She had no idea how exactly he was going to find her but he would. He had too.

"Oh I see what is happening here. You're waiting for the baboon of a partner to find you."

"He will find me"

"Your corpse maybe, but I don't think it will happen while you are alive. You see, this room is sound proof and the doors are reinforced steel. He can't hear you and even if he did, he would have no way of getting in."

Sean nudged her with the gun but she refused to move.

"I will shoot you Temperance. Don't think that I am above all that"

She was terrified of what would happen if she did move. What if Sean was right and Booth didn't make it in time? What if the one time that she really did need saving, he wasn't there to do it?

"Move. Or I will shoot that pretty little face off"

Temperance felt her feet begin to move and despite her best efforts, they were taking her toward the box on their own accord.

* * *

Booth must have checked at least a hundred doors by now. He had no way of being sure where he was going or even if he was in the right place. He had always thought that there was a connection between himself and Bones but it was failing now because he didn't have a clue where she was. All the doors that he had checked so far had been unlocked and he could only assume that the one that hid the mad scientist and the slightly saner one, would be lock. He could only do what he was doing now, checking each and every door, waiting for the handle that did not give out under his hand.

* * *

She was getting closer. Inch by inch her feet moved and soon she was able to see her own reflection in the smooth glass. She looked as scared as she felt and she sent a silent scream to Booth. He needed to hurry. Her options here were limited. She kept her eyes on Sean's reflection too and waited for any kind of opening that would mean her being able to tackle him. It wasn't until she almost had her foot in the box that she finally saw an opening and took it. She gripped the sides of the box and quickly swung out her leg, sweeping Sean off his feet. As Sean fell, the gun discharged and Temperance almost fell to the floor as pain tore through her arm. She ignored the urge to sit and cry, jumping to Sean's side and picking up the gun, pointing it at his head.

"Game's up. I told you that I would not become another one of your victims."

Rather then being angry or annoyed, Sean began to laugh. It was deeply disturbing and it sent a chill up Temperance's spine. Only a mad man could laugh like that.

* * *

The sound of a gun going off was all that Booth needed. He followed the sound to a large, heavy metal door. He aimed his gun carefully and fired at the bolt that he could see through the slight gap in the door. He pushed it open and rushed in. He was there in time to see Bones beginning to sway as her blood began to collect on the floor and catch the strains of manic laughter from a fallen Dr. Asquith.

"Bones!

"Cuff…..him"

Booth did as he was told, pulling the restraints extra tight before turning just in time for Bones to collapse into his arms. He quickly took off his coat and shirt, doing his best to apply pressure to the wound.

"Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?"

"Can we go home now?"

"We sure can. You caught the bad guy"

"Go me"

Booth pulled out his cell and dialed 111, hoping that they got their quickly. He held Bones close and talked to her quietly, reminding her of all the good work that she had done here. That they had done here.

* * *

When Temperance woke up, it was to the sound of soft snoring. She turned her head slightly and was faced with Booth sprawled over a small, stiff hospital chair, his head back, and his mouth wide open. She smiled slightly to herself and looked do her body. She had been shot in the arm, that much she knew. How severely, she could not tell but she knew that it hurt. A lot. As far as she could tell, she had no other injuries. She didn't remember getting to the hospital or anything really after being shot. All she knew is that Booth had saved her. Again.

"You're awake"

"Yes I am. What happened?"

Booth moved his chair closer to the bed, his arms coming to rest near hers.

"When you kicked Sean, he shot you. You managed to stay standing until I got there and then you blacked out."

"You saved me again"

"It's my job. I save you and you help me catch the bad guys. It's actually a very fair trade off."

The events of the last week were finally catching up with her and she felt a different kind of hurt this time. She felt betrayed. Sean Asquith had taught her so much and then he had tried to kill her. She had trusted him and he had thrown it back in her face.

"Why did he do it Booth?"

"He never said. He just kept laughing. Why?"

"I want to know why he wanted to kill me. One of my own teachers tried to kill me."

Booth leaned forward, taking her hand in his.

"He went mad. It had nothing to do with you"

"Then why do I feel so betrayed?"

"Because he was one of your own."

Temperance shook her head and looked around the room.

"How long have I been out?"

"Twenty-four hours. They put you on a sedative so that they could splint your arm. They said that they can discharge you tomorrow."

"Good. I just want to go home"

"And we will as soon as you get the all clear. Can I get you anything?"

"No. I just want to be alone for a little bit"

"Ok. I'll be just outside if you need me"

He gave her hand a quick squeeze and left the room. Temperance waited until she was sure he was gone before letting herself cry. She had been terrified that Sean was going to kill her, he could have killed her just as easily as he had killed the other girls. Shouldn't she feel grateful that he hadn't instead of feeling betrayed by yet another person that she had trusted?

* * *

Booth was on a mission. He had been stopped by the police almost as soon as he had left Bones, told that there was no way that they could go home yet. They had to give testimony at Asquith's trial. Booth knew that this was the worst kind of news that they could give him. All Bones wanted to do was go home but now she was even being denied that simple right. First she had to stand in front of a jury and tell them how the attack had made her feel. They had passed on the evidence against Asquith to the local law enforcement, so there was no need for them to testify to that. He just didn't think that Bones could face the man who had tried to kill her. It was one thing to be attacked by someone you barely know, if someone you know at all, let alone someone who taught you and was friends with you. She was hurting and this was the last thing she needed. So he wanted to cheer her up. And the only way to cheer Bones up was making something foreign slightly more familiar. He took out his phone and called in all the favors he could before calling Angela. This was the one thing that could at least make her smile a little.

* * *

Some time later, Booth found himself back at the airport, waiting for Angela's flight to come in. He got two cups of coffee and waited at the arrival gate for her. A few minutes later, Angela arrived, a back pack over her shoulder and a smile on her face. He gave her a quick hug before he handed her the coffee.

"How is she Booth?"

"Ok I suppose. She doesn't know that you are here."

Angela paused mid-stride and studied him.

"So why am I here?"

Booth sighed and put her suitcase into the back of the car.

"Something's up. She's depressed."

"Why?"

"A man that she trusted tried to kill her. That would be my educated guess."

"She feels betrayed."

"Right. She needed something to cheer her up and you are it"

"Way to add pressure Booth"

He smiled at her and turned the engine of the car.

* * *

Temperance was restless. She had yet to sit still and if it wasn't for the damn I.V that they had insisted that she keep in her arm, she would be able to move more. As it was, she was restricted to pacing up and down the halls, annoying the nurses and chatting to the doctors. That was the only thing keeping her entertained.

"Hey Sweetie"

"Angela! What are you doing here?"

"Happy to see you too"

Temperance hugged her best friend and saw the smiling Booth over her shoulder. Booth did this.

"How are you anyway?"

"Sore. Better now that you are here."

Angela looped her arm through hers and gave Temperance a wide smile.

"Show me your room."

Temperance smiled back and made the long walk back to her room; eager to get there now that she had someone to cheer her up. She let Angela go into the room before turning to Booth, who was trailing behind them.

"Why did you do this Booth?"

"You needed cheering up"

"So you flew Angela over?"

"Yes"

Temperance leaned forward and gave him a quick hug.

"Thank you Booth"

"You're welcome Bones. I'll get some food for us. Angela must be starving."

She watched as he walked away towards the cafeteria. He had saved her again. She had lost count how many times he had done that. Perhaps he was right. He saved her life and then they caught the bad guys. Maybe that was the way things worked, the way things worked out for them. She didn't want to try and analyze it; it was enough to know that he was always there for her.

* * *

Two weeks later, Temperance found herself sitting in an empty court room, her ears still ringing with the sentence handed down by the judge. Guilty. He would spend the rest of his life in prison and he would never see the light of day again. In some way, this was a way for closure. Not just for her, but for the families that had lost loved ones thanks to Sean's need to prove the power of anthropology. In other ways, it was a let down. People lost their lives because of him, yet he gets to keep his. She was used to this happening, but she wasn't used to the feeling of anger that had settled itself in her chest.

"You are far too pretty to look so upset, young lady"

An elderly woman came to sit next to her, laying her cane against her leg. Temperance offered her a small smile.

"Thank you"

The woman held out her hand and Temperance took the wrinkled hand in her own.

"Celia Asquith"

Temperance opened and closed her mouth. She did not expect to see Sean's mother here. Truth be told, she had thought that Sean's mother had died a long time ago.

"Mrs. Asquith – "

"Celia"

"Celia, I am sorry for what happened to your son"

Celia smiled at her and bumped the cane lightly against her leg.

"Sean is not an innocent man, my dear. He killed people"

"But I helped put him in jail"

"No, he put himself there. What is your name by the way?"

"Temperance. Temperance Brennan"

"Beautiful name"

Temperance shook her head as she flashed back to the very first time that Ross had told her the real name that she had gotten until people started going after her parents.

"Yeah. There is a definite story behind that"

"There is a story behind everything. I hope that you don't feel guilty for all this"

"I solved this case Celia. I put your son in jail for the rest of his life."

"You helped families here today. Those innocent girls suffered at the hands of my son. He deserved what he got. I love him but I don't recognize him anymore."

"Neither do I. Your son used to be one of my teachers."

Celia nodded as her eyes wondered the courtroom that had moments ago decided her only son's fate.

"He used to talk about you. He used to say that you would do great things. Have you?"

"I suppose so, yes. I'm at the top of my field and I'm branching into writing"

"He collected those books. He used to tell me what were real cases and what ones had been fabricated. He really admired you"

"And I him. Can I ask you a question Celia?"

"By all means Temperance."

"When did he start to change?"

Celia took a deep breath, resting her chin on her walking stick, her eyes twinkling with tears.

"About two years ago. I don't know what changed. One moment he was kind, sweet Sean. The next he was so angry and aggressive."

"He said that he wanted anthropology to be taken seriously"

"He used to tell me that too. I find it hard to accept that the son that I raised killed so many people."

"It's hard to believe that he would kill at all. How does such a nice guy turn so evil?"

Celia shrugged and for a while they sat in silence. Temperance felt slightly better that she wasn't the only one that had been pulled into Sean's trickery. If he could fool his own mother, then perhaps the rest of the world was slightly easier.

"Celia, would you care to join me for a cup of coffee?"

Celia smiled brightly at her.

"I gave up coffee a long time ago but I would love a cup of tea. Then you can tell me about this writing malarkey that I've heard so much about."

Temperance smiled back and they walked slowly from the courtroom and towards a slightly happier topic. One that they were both comfortable with.

* * *

Temperance was shocked to find that she was a little sad about going home. When she had been shot, the first thing she wanted to do was jump on a plane and sleep in her own bed. Now that the time came for her to pack her things and head for the airport, she was feeling a little sad that their time here was over. Booth had taken her to the hospital to get her arm checked out before they went home. Temperance winced as the doctor moved her arm, poked and prodded her, all under the wary gaze of Booth, who stood quietly at the end of the bed.

"Ok Miss Brennan, you need to take these two hours before you fly"

"What are they?"

"Anti-clotting agents. The pressure in the cabin can cause clots, worse if you have had surgery before the flight"

"What are the side effects?"

Booth's question made Temperance frown at him. The doctor looked at him as Booth wondered closer to him.

"Your blood will be thinner, so you need to be careful for the next couple of days. After the flight, I suggest that you see your doctor as soon as you can."

"Careful how?"

The doctor swallowed nervously and Temperance slipped off the bed, taking the small cup of pills and water that the younger man had in his hands. She made a point of facing Booth as she swallowed the small pills. There was a time and a place for being over protective and this wasn't it.

"Thanks doctor"

"Not a problem Miss Brennan. Just remember to take it easy"

Temperance smiled at him as she walked out of the small cubical and into the main corridor of the hospital, Booth trailing behind her.

"Bones, slow down! You need to be careful"

Temperance stopped mid step, pulling Booth to a halt beside her by grabbing his wrist.

"You need to calm down Booth. I am fine"

"No, you're not fine! You were shot by one of your teachers. I know how I would feel and it would be anything but fine"

Temperance shook the comment off and released his wrist, continuing her walk from the hospital. Booth all but ran after her, still talking.

"Bones, you need to deal with this"

"Why do you care Booth?"

"Because you are my partner and friend."

"That does not make you a therapist."

"Why would I try to be a therapist? You don't believe in that crap."

"So just because you are my friend had put on a charm smile, you want me to talk this out with you?"

She tried to open the car door but Booth was too quick and held it closed with his arm. He moved forward until he was blocking the door completely.

"Booth, what are you doing?"

"Making you talk to me."

"So you are going to act like a child and not allow me into the car until you get your own way?"

"Pretty much"

Temperance let out an angry huff of air and turned her back to him. Booth waited a moment to make sure that she wasn't going to swing at him before moving forward and coming to stand behind her.

"I know it hurt you. Your teacher betraying you like that."

"So? How many time have I almost been killed?"

"Yes but never by someone you trust so much."

He touched her elbow and gently pulled her around to face him.

"You're allowed to be angry Bones."

"That's just it Booth, I'm not. I just feel hurt. I trusted him, all the girls he killed trusted him."

"He was clever that was all. He flew below the radar and he passed us."

"I also feel guilty"

"What for?"

"We missed him. We could have stopped him killing, but we missed him. Karl was killed because we let Sean get away"

Booth didn't have a chance to formulate a sentence before the tears started and Booth did the only thing he could; he hugged her. She held onto him tightly, as if she was on a sinking ship and he was her life raft. He let her hold on for as long as she needed too, allowing her to back off when she was ready.

"I'm sorry Booth"

"What for now?"

"I hugged you again"

"Technically, I hugged you. So you have a free pass on that one."

Temperance smiled at him and held still as he wiped her tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

"Can I get into the car now?"

Booth stepped back and held the door open for her, watching as she carefully slipped into the seat. He climbed into the driver's side and they drove back to the hotel. It was time to head home.


End file.
